Wednesday, 23 May 2012

A journal page on celebrating the present with "LifeBook" (www.willowing.ning.com) and my first real attempt at working with acrylics to create a face with appropriate skin tones.....oh hard, hard!! also linked to the Life Book course. I was desperate to try in acrylics but found it so much harder than my watercolours... I will persevere though!

Sunday, 6 May 2012

So...in my frustration I sloshed some paint on another page, scratched into it to vent my irritation and painted this one in half an hour. I know she is a bit "rough and ready" and I need to do some more work on her but as soon as I painted her face I could relate to her. Also I realised I much prefer working in muted and pastel tones rather than really bright colours.....so another useful lesson. But isn't it weird how you can try so hard for so long and not be happy then whip something up in an eight of the time and be happier. Of course other people may not think she is any good but I like her and so I suppose that is what matters most! What I love the most is that I realise the importance of your own art work touching your soul, your own soul, and how healing that can be. I really need healing at the moment, I have been terribly sad about something over the past few weeks and as always, pouring myself out through paints onto a piece of paper has really helped me.
I also pulled out the hairstyle from my original faerie...it always makes me smile!

I've been longing to try two of the recent lessons on LIFEBOOK (Willowing, one by Jane Davenport and one by Jane DesRosier. I had to get supplies for both and for Jane D's had to wait for delivery of some Prismacolour Premiere pencils and some Adirondack matt acrylic paint dabbers. They came and so yesterday I had a go. I found it really hard especially as my paint dabbers were really dried out and very hard to use....found out now I can water them down again.... My main problem though was I couldn't get hold of an alcohol solvent to blend the pencils anywhere here in the UK and without that, it was really difficult. I tried using a bit of neat gin....ha ha....thought it might work but all it did was lift the colour completely off. Still I learnt something that could be quite useful there!
Anyway I spent four hours on this painting and was pretty disappointed with it. Mainly that was because I usually find something really appealing in the faces I paint and it is missing in this one. I can't really relate to her. Still it was a really good learning experience. I decided to make it into a journal page as I was dissatisfied with her and for that and for all I learned it was worth it.

Faerie

About Me

Above everything else I am a very happy grandma these days! My family is the best thing I have in this world. I am also a retired teacher, now happily making the most of time to share with family and friends and my favourite hobbies including art, singing in two choirs, writing and spiritual development. My faith is important to me and I am a catholic but feel very strongly that the faiths of all peoples of the world are to be respected and treated with love.
I am proud to be a positive statistic of cancer. I have had it three times now and am still here. I am not brave enough to call myself a cancer survivor but I live with it ok.....thanks to my wonderful family and friends and also, I believe, to my faith and trust and ongoing belief in survival!
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